Alton downtown out of the water

Businesses remain open as river falls

BY SCOTT COUSINS - For the Telegraph

Alton Street Department worker Troy Vernatti, left, and Rich Baxmeyer, of Waterloo, eat lunch at State Street Market Saturday. The two had been working on the temporary levee protecting downtown Alton from floodwaters.

ALTON — “Location, location location” is what real estate agents always talk about, and that has been especially true for downtown Alton businesses as a winter flood threatened.

While a few businesses – most notably the Argosy Casino – were closed, most remained open — although many saw decreased business as the flood cut into traffic and parking.

In addition, businesses had to deal with the perception that the entire downtown area was inundated.

“It’s just the perception that people have that it’s flooded downtown, people from Alton and outside Alton think that everybody’s underwater,” said Russ Smith, owner of Elijah P’s Burgers and Brews, and Bossanova Martini Lounge and Restaurant, two downtown businesses.

On Saturday, the river had started to recede as a few workers manned the temporary flood wall.

Alton Fire Chief Bernie Sebold, who also serves as the city’s ESDA director, said Saturday afternoon that since the river crested about noon Friday, the water level had dropped about a foot within 24 hours.

He and others also noted that the crest was below the National Weather Services’ predictions, at about 37.5 feet above flood stage. It has been expected to crest at about 39 feet, below the 1973 flood level.

Despite blocked roads and difficulty parking, people were making the trip to downtown.

Alton residents Don and Ellen Hampton, came down to eat at lunch at Mac’s.

He said the flooding had not impacted their plans, and they had not bothered to go look at the flooding.

“There’s enough of it on Facebook, I don’t have to,” he said.

“In 1993 we were down here (looking), but it’s the same thing,” Ellen Hampton said.

Bartenders and waitresses said that while they never closed, generally crowds were down. A big factor was parking.

However, some reported a few new customers who came down to look at the flooding, as well as volunteers and workers.

At State Street Market, several customers ate lunch, including Street Department worker Troy Vernatti and Rick Baxmeyer, who was monitoring a large pump he brought to downtown.

“It has tremendously diminished traffic,” said Glenn Beaubien, owner of the restaurant.

He said the reduced business forced them to lay off some workers.

“People are finding it hard to find a way to get here,” he said. “They’re not sure if businesses are or aren’t closed, so there is a lot of uncertainty.”

He said some people have come in while “gawking” at the flood.

“They’ll pop in and get a cup of coffee,” he said, adding that many said they might come back once the floodwaters are down.

After preparing several orders, he had to take time out to go put fuel in the pump.

“The landlord for this building secured a pump when there really weren’t any to be found Monday,” he said, noting that it has been running continuously since then.

At one point he said the water was about two feet from the dining room floor, but has gone down.

Sebold said most of the downtown basements had flooding issues – a combination of the rising water table and porous limestone used in many basements.

Along Third Street pumps were operating, sending small streams of water into the street at several spots.

“Water comes up through the basement,” Smith said. “All of us along Third Street have water in our basements.”

Sebold said business owners were advised Monday that they needed to prepare for flooding and empty their basements.

Smith said that was the hardest part of the flood.

“It’s hard to get everything out,” he said. “When you have a small restaurant you use your basement for a lot of storage. It’ just gets to be a big job. I had to use our staff and hire outside help to get the job done.”

Another issue was how quickly the situation developed.

“I was very surprised how quick it came up,” Smith said. “I ordered product on Sunday and we got delivery Monday. Late Monday we were told there would be a record flood.

“It was unlike 1993 where it was a long, gradual, drawn-out fight,” he added.

Among downtown business owners, Smith has a somewhat unique perspective. Although he owned the building now housing Bossanova, the restaurant was not there yet. He was also a photographer with the Telegraph and spent much of his time covering the 1993 flood.

“This was a headache,” he said of the recent flooding. “That was a complete life-changing experience for a lot of people. There was an incredible amount of sludge left behind.”

Of all the smaller downtown businesses, one of the hardest hit by the current flooding was Morrison’s Irish Pub, which was “closed” Saturday, although the front doors were open and several water hoses were snaked through it.

“Morrison’s is the very lowest building we have there,” Sebold said “The water that entered into their building did not enter through the outside, it went from the basement up.”

Once the water recedes some more, the cleanup will begin.

Sebold said they plan to start dismantling the flood wall Monday.

Sebold said the stackable limestone blocks used to anchor the flood wall will be dismantled and stored away for future use.

“We anticipate starting to tear down this operation on Monday morning,” he said. “It will start on the east end and we will work our way back toward State Street.”

The biggest concern is that freezing weather could delay it because street crews will be elsewhere.

For Smith and Beaubien, cleanup means going into their basements, washing down and disinfecting everything.

Beaubien described the whole ordeal as a “unique and eye-opening experience.”

Being from the area, he was familiar with flooding.

“Until you see it up and close and personal, that brings a whole new meaning,” he said.

Businesses remain open as river falls

BY SCOTT COUSINS

For the Telegraph

Alton Street Department worker Troy Vernatti, left, and Rich Baxmeyer, of Waterloo, eat lunch at State Street Market Saturday. The two had been working on the temporary levee protecting downtown Alton from floodwaters.

http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_flood-business1.jpgAlton Street Department worker Troy Vernatti, left, and Rich Baxmeyer, of Waterloo, eat lunch at State Street Market Saturday. The two had been working on the temporary levee protecting downtown Alton from floodwaters.